1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector for a sheet-like connection member such as a flexible printed circuit or a flexible flat cable.
2. Description of Related Art
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-125416 discloses a conventional connector adapted for connecting with a sheet-like connection member. The electrical connector includes an insulated housing having an elongated shape and a plurality of conductive terminals secured in the housing side-by-side. The housing comprises a pair of upstanding sidewalls spaced and parallel to each other and a receiving cavity between the sidewall for receiving the sheet-like connection member therein. One sidewall has a plurality of receiving channels in communication with the receiving cavity for receiving the conductive terminals. The conductive terminal has a contact portion received into the receiving channel and exposed to the receiving cavity for electrically contacting with the sheet-like connection member and a solder portion extending beyond the housing for connecting with a printed circuit board where the electrical connector is mounted. The other sidewall has a flat inner surface defined as a bearing surface for urging the sheet-like connection member to electrically contact with the terminals.
However, the housing is generally made of plastic resin, and having a complex shape as mentioned above is generally formed by an injection molding process. Because of the elongate shape of the second sidewall of the housing, it is often difficult for resin to flow into a mold smoothly upon injection molding, resulting in undesirable curve of the housing, thereby the bearing surface of the second sidewall hardly obtain a favorable planeness to exert a balanced force on the sheet-like connection member. Thus, some of terminals cannot stably and firmly contact with the sheet-like connection member.
Therefore, a new connector is desired to overcome the disadvantage of the prior art connector